According to a new poll, 52 percent of Coloradans said legalized marijuana has been good for the state, but across the border, opinions change. Colorado's gain is Nebraska loss, and Nebraska is losing a lot because of Colorado’s potent pot.

“It's made the illegal market worse because everyone wants that high-grade marijuana that they've got now,” said Deuel County Sheriff Adam Hayward.

Fewer than 2,000 people live in Deuel County. Since the beginning of the year, Hayward confiscated enough marijuana to get everyone in Deuel County high.

Interstate 80 crosses the Colorado-Nebraska state line in Hayward’s jurisdiction. He said the number of felony marijuana arrests has tripled in 2014, and he blames recreational dispensaries.

“We're almost where we were a year ago right now almost four months into the year,” he said.

3D Cannabis Center in Denver told KETV NewsWatch 7 that 80 percent of its recreational marijuana customers come from out of state.

“I can't put it in words. Like I said, I should just move out here. What am I waiting for?” said one marijuana smoker.

Marijuana is a growing tourism industry credited to the quality and potency of the pot being sold in Colorado legally. The state of Colorado forces dispensaries to keep the price high with high taxes. It's supposed to help reduce out-of-state drug deals.

“I know that's one of the reasons Colorado says that it wanted to do it is to get rid of the illegal market, but in a sense it has almost made it worse because the quality. They say it's the best quality there's ever been, so everybody wants that marijuana,” Hayward said.

Hayward recently busted four teens from Minnesota. They admitted to buying a pound of marijuana for $2,500 and selling it back home for $6,000.

“So these teenage kids from five states away have figured out how to make a better living that I make by driving to Colorado and buying this weed and taking it back,” Hayward said

Genifer Murray, CEO and founder of CannLabs in Denver, said Colorado has the most powerful marijuana in the world.

"Well, to give you a real point of reference, in the 1980s, 'kind bud,' if you will, was about 3 percent to 5 percent, more like 5 percent of THC. The highest that we have tested to date is about 29.5 percent of THC, then we've tested upward of 80 percent THC and hash oils,” Murray said.

Determining the potency of marijuana isn't just about THC, it's about how the THC reacts with all the other chemicals in the plant.

“If you smoke marijuana that was 17 percent, and then you smoked marijuana that was 12 percent, they might affect you similar -- that's because of the other cannabinoids in the plant that affect THC. They all work together, like a lock-in-key system, if you will,” Murray said.

For some people, the key opens a lock to a very bad place. On April 14, Denver police said Richard Kirk shot and killed his wife, Kristine, after eating marijuana candy. Kristine was on the phone telling a 911 operator her husband was hallucinating when he pulled the trigger and shot her in the head.

“If you read the packaging on this stuff, it tells you that is like 10 servings. You should cut that one piece into 10 pieces. People don't realize that and they eat the entire thing and bad things happen,” Hayward said.

“There's never been a death directly related to cannabis. However, we are doing things to cannabis that we have never done before. Those products, all of those products, need to be tested,” Murray said.

Murray admits Colorado's legal marijuana industry is going through some growing pains, some worse than others.

“I think people that are predominantly against cannabis, they are going to latch onto anything they can and every bad event. I think other people that think it should be a freedom of choice will be like, ‘Yeah, that happens,’” Murray said.

To the east and across the border, freedom of choice becomes criminal activity fueled by the world's strongest marijuana.

“You can buy it over there and take it back and double or triple your money,” Hayward said

That is, if you don't get caught.

“When you walk up to a vehicle, if there is marijuana in there, even a little bit, that smell is so potent you usually know right away if it's in the vehicle or not,” Hayward said.

Colorado’s high-quality marijuana is apparently edging out illegal markets. The Mexican government reports drug cartels' annual revenues are down 20 to 30 percent. They said it's because Mexican pot is not as potent or pure as the legal stuff sold in the U.S.

NOW A SPECIAL REPORT FROM THE I-TEAM. MIND BLOWING MARIJUANA... BLOWS UP COUNTY BUDGETS IN WESTERN NEBRASKA. WHEN RECREATIONAL POT WENT ON SALE IN COLORADO... SOME SHERIFFS IN áOUR STATE WENT BROKE. COLORADO WEED..NOW BEING CALLED THE BEST IN THE WORLD. I-TEAM INVESTIGATOR COLORADO... TO FIND OUT WHY. HE'S HERE WITH THE ANSWERS. COLORADANS LIKE THEIR G MARIJUANA. ACCORDING TO A NEW POLL... 52 PERCENT SAY... LEGALIZED MARIJUANA HAS BEEN GOOD FOR THE STATE. ONLY THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT THOUGHT IT WAS BAD. BUT CROSS THE BORDER... AND OPINIONS CHANGE. COLORADO'S GAIN ... IS NEBRASKA LOSS ... AND WE'RE LOSING A LOT... BECAUSE OF THEIR POTENT POT. ("It's made the illegal market worse because everyone wants that high-grade marijuana that they've got now.") JUST UNDER TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE LIVE IN DEUEL COUNTY, NEBRASKA. YEAR ... SHERIFF ADAM HAYWARD CONFISCATED ENOUGH MARIJUANA TO GET EVERYONE IN DEUEL COUNTY HIGH.(intersate Nats from I-80) INTERSTATE EIGHTY ... CROSSES THE COLORADO/NEBRASKA STATE LINE IN HIS JURISDICTION. SHERIFF HAYWARD SAYS THE NUMBER OF FELONY MARIJUNA ARRESTS HAVE TRIPLED IN 2014. HE BLAMES RECREATIONAL DISPENSERIES.("We're almost where we were a year ago right now almost 4 months into the CENTER IN DENVER TELLS KETV NEWSWATCH 7... 80 PERCENT OF CUSTOMERS... COME FROM OUT OF STATE.("Can't put it in words. Like I said, I should just move out here. What am I waiting for.") IT'S A GROWING TOURISM INDUSTRY, CREDITED TO THE QUALITY AND POTENCY OF THE POT BEING SOLD HERE LEGALLY. THE STATE OF COLORADO FORCES DISPENSERIES TO KEEP THE PRICE HIGH WITH HIGH TAXES. IT'S SUCROSED TO HELP REDUCE OUT OF STATE DRUG DEALS.("I know that's one of the reasons Colorado says that it wanted to do it is to get rid of the illegal market the quality. They say it's the best quality there's ever been. So everybody wants that marijuana.") SHERIFF HAYWARD RECENTLY BUSTED FOUR TEENS FROM MINNESOTA. THEY ADMITTED TO BUYING A POUND OF MARIJUANA FOR 25 HUNDRED DOLLARS AND SELLING IT BACK HOME FOR SIX THOUSAND.("So these teenage kids, from five states away, have figured out how to make a better living that I make by driving to and taking it back.")(Dave: "They are saying that Colorado has the most powerful marijuana in the world. You say that that's true from what you are seeing coming through your lab here?" Genifer: "It absolutely is.") IN COMPANY... CANNLABS...BREAKS THIS LAB.("Well, to give you en real point of reference, in the 1980s, 'Kind Bud' if you will, was about 3% to 5%, more like 5% of THC. The highest that we have tested to date is about 29.5% of THC.Then we've tested upwards of 80% THC and potency of marijuana isn't just about THC ...")("...it's about how that THC reacts with all the other chemicals in the plant.")("If you smoke marijuana that was 17% and then you smoked marijuana that similar. That's because of the other cannabinoids in the plant that affect THC.They all work together like a locking FOR SOME PEOPLE ... THE KEY OPENS A LOCK TO A VERY BAD PLACE. ON APRIL 14TH... DENVER POLICE SAY RICHARD KIRK KRISTINE AFTER EATING MARIJUANA CANDY. KRISTINE WAS ON THE PHONE... TELLING A 911 OPERATOR HER HUSBAND WAS HALUCINATING... WHEN HE PULLED THE TRIGGER AND SHOT HER IN THE HEAD.ááásotáááÑ("If you read the packaging on this stuff it tells you that's like 10 servings. You should cut that one piece into 10 pieces. NGPeople don't realize that and they eat the entire thing and bad things happen.")("There's never been a death directly related to cannabis. However, we are doing things to cannabis that we have never done before.Those products, all of those products need to be tested.") MURRAY ADMITS...COLORADO'S LEGAL MARIJUANA INDUSTRY IS GOING THROUGH SOME GROWING PAINS... SOME WORSE THAN OTHERS.("Do you ever worry that these growing pains will turn people off to allowing what's happening here?" "I think it depends on who your audiences is.I think people that are predominantly against cannabis, they are going to latch onto anything they can and every bad event. I think other people that think it should be a freedom of choice we'll be like yeah that happens.") TO THE EAST AND ACROSS THE BORDER...FREEDOM OF CHOICE...BECOMES CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. FUELED BY THE WORLD'S STRONGEST MARIJUANA. ("You can buy it over there and take it back and double or triple your money.") THAT IS... IF YOU DON'T GET CAUGHT. ("When you walk up to a vehicle, if there is marijuana in there, even a little bit, that smell is so potent you usually know right away if it's in the vehicle or not.") COLORADO'S HIGH QUALITY MARIJUANA IS APPARENTLY EDGING OUT áILLEGAL MARKETS. THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT REPORTS DRUG CARTELS' ANNUAL REVENUES ARE DOWN 20 TO 30 PERCENT... THEY SAY... IT'S BECAUSE MEXICAN POT IS NOT AS POTENT OR PURE AS THE LEGAL STUFF YOU.

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